Daily News | Many of Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson’s fellow lawmakers stood by him from indictment to acquittal
Politicians who get into legal trouble usually become radioactive to other elected officials, who fear that voters will associate them with the misdeeds of their colleagues.
Several of Johnson’s Council colleagues attended “Pre Trial Victory Prayer Service” events before both of his trials. The first trial ended in a hung jury, and prosecutors immediately vowed to bring the case back to court. The second resulted in his acquittal Wednesday. “It certainly didn’t seem that this was a good use of taxpayer resources,” she said. “Certainly there are many more things that they could and should be looking into. I mean, we almost had an overthrow of the American government.”Patrick Christmas, policy director of the good government group Committee of Seventy, said that just because Johnson and Chavous were acquitted on criminal charges doesn’t mean they acted appropriately.
“The bigger issue looming over this particular trial is the practice of councilmanic prerogative and the ethical risks, both real and perceived, that come from it,” Christmas said. “As long as that practice exists and can be exercised, we’re going to continue to have risks come about.” Williams said Johnson “stands singularly in Philadelphia as a local official who is extremely connected to his constituents.”
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